Macworld mag’s wishlist for MacBook gaming

Uttering the phrase "Mac gaming" will normally elicit a few chuckles, and perhaps even a hearty chortle. Sure, things seem to be getting a bit better, at least based on the games on display at this year's Macworld Expo. Mac gaming still has a long way to go, though, especially if you're going to be gaming on a MacBook, which will normally earn you looks of pity due to its integrated graphics and mediocre gaming performance. But according to Macworld (magazine)'s Peter Cohen, MacBooks don't necessarily need to be bad gaming notebooks, since there are a few small steps Apple could take to beef up the machines.

The first thing on the upgrade list is, of course, the MacBook's integrated graphics processor. As Cohen points out, the fact that the GPU shares memory with the rest of the system means that the MacBook just doesn't have the chops when it comes to a lot of 3D games. Although the MacBook will obviously never get the same graphics processor found in the MacBook Pro, Cohen believes that even the use of a low-end discrete GPU would offer a big performance boost over the current integrated graphics processor.

The second MacBook gaming problem has more to do with Intel's GMA line of graphics hardware (the X3100 is currently used in the MacBook), particularly the drivers. The developer opinion is that the OS X drivers for the hardware perform worse than the Windows drivers for the same hardware, which is a problem when you're already dealing with the lower-performance integrated graphics. If Apple were to improve the drivers, developers might be a bit more willing to support the GMA hardware.

Both of these items would improve the MacBook's gaming performance, and would probably also lead to a wider library of games being available. The first suggestion is probably out, given Apple's desire to differentiate its products, but improved drivers are certainly a possibility somewhere down the road.